b

Bought enough toilet paper? Check this online calculator

Worried about whether you have enough toilet paper for the coronavirus lockdown? A German website can tell you how long your supply will last.




b

British vicar catches fire waiting for God's answer

A British vicar got more than he expected from his first attempt at an online sermon when he leaned too close to a candle on a cross and his sweater caught fire.




b

Eat it: Hanoi chef spreads joy with 'Coronaburger'

You've got to eat it, to beat it: That's the philosophy of one Hanoi chef who is attempting to boost morale in the Vietnamese capital by selling green, coronavirus-themed burgers.




b

Novelty toilet roll cakes keep Finnish baker in business

A quick-thinking Helsinki bakery has saved itself from financial ruin due to the new coronavirus pandemic by creating a cake that looks like a toilet roll.




b

Sex toy sales take off amid Colombia's coronavirus quarantine

Gerson Monje holds up his cellphone to proudly show off his online sex shop. A red banner reading "sold out!" is plastered across half of the products.




b

Do your bit for farmers and eat more fries, Belgians urged

With potato farmers and processors struggling, Belgians are being urged to eat more fries to offset a slump in demand during the coronavirus pandemic.




b

Superheroes, from near and far, join Indonesia's coronavirus battle

Volunteers clad as Superman and Spider-Man sprayed disinfectant against the coronavirus on Indonesia's island of Java, flanking a colleague wearing the winged helmet of local superhero Gatotkaca who shouted, "Wear masks, wash hands and stay alert."




b

Five-year-old stopped on U.S. highway wanted to buy Lamborghini, police say

A trooper stopping a car with a suspected "impaired driver" on a U.S. highway on Monday was bemused to find a 5-year-old in the driver's seat, the Utah Highway Patrol tweeted.




b

Clawing back normality: Bangkok cat cafe reopens after virus shutdown

As Thailand's capital cautiously reopens many restaurants shuttered over coronavirus fears, the feline "employees" of the Caturday Cafe are back at work.




b

Lockdown diary: the Italian priest delivering blessings from car speaker

Priest Don Giuseppe Castelvecchio hasn't been able to conduct services in his San Fiorano church for two months. In the town where restrictions are easing, his sermons delivered from a loud speaker in a car are a welcome relief. Joe Davies reports.




b

Breakingviews TV: Dating apps

Like diseases in the past, the pandemic will change intimacy patterns. Covid-19 will make it harder for lovers to swipe right on platforms like $22 bln Match Group’s Tinder with peace of mind. But more engagement, if fewer hookups, may benefit the model, argues Dasha Afanasieva.




b

Australia to end most COVID-19 restrictions by July

Australia will ease social distancing restrictions implemented to slow the spread of the coronavirus in a three-step process, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday, with the aim of removing all curbs by July. Lauren Anthony reports.




b

UK observes two-minute silence to commemorate VE Day 75th anniversary

Along with millions around the nation, Prince Charles held a two-minute silence outside his family's Balmoral estate, while military jets flew over the United Kingdom's four capitals, and 1940s-style tea parties plus singalongs were planned in homes.




b

Africans scale back funerals to curb COVID-19

Across Africa, centuries-old cultural traditions are being foregone in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has seen governments impose restrictions on gatherings and other practices around death and burial. Francesca Lynagh reports.




b

Britain honors World War Two VE Day anniversary

Britons stood in silence and Queen Elizabeth addressed the nation on Friday's 75th anniversary of "Victory in Europe" Day, though the coronavirus dampened commemorations for the end of World War Two on the continent. Lauren Anthony reports.




b

U.S. job losses in April worst since Great Depression

The latest figures from the Labor Department released on Friday showed the U.S. economy losing 20.5 million jobs in April, the steepest plunge in payrolls since the Great Depression. Colette Luke has more.




b

Class of 2020 graduates with 'robot ceremony'

Arizona State University's Thunderbird School of Global Management utilizes robots to give its students a virtual graduation ceremony. Freddie Joyner has more.




b

Pandemic slams healthcare jobs

The steep plunge in U.S. payrolls caused by the pandemic also slammed the healthcare sector, as many workers in dentists' and doctors' offices lost their jobs. Fred Katayama reports.




b

Brazil refuge welcomes eagle hatchling

Brazil's Bela Vista Biological Refuge Veterinarian Pedro Enrrique Ferreira says the Harpy Eagle hatchling born on April 26 only weighs 150 grams now but could one day grow to weigh some 20 pounds.




b

Countries must return to public health surveillance in COVID-19 fight -WHO

Countries must return to "basic principles" of public health surveillance if they are to bring the coronavirus outbreak under control, the World Health Organization's (WHO) top emergency health expert Mike Ryan said on Friday (May 8).




b

Look for stocks to get range-bound: analyst

Piper Sandler senior technical analyst Craig Johnson says the S&P 500 may trade in a narrow range through the summer before breaking north.




b

Singapore robot enforces safe distancing among park-goers

Singapore unveiled a four-legged canine-like robot on Friday (May 8) to remind park goers to maintain social distancing.




b

Wall Street jumps despite historic job losses

Stocks on Wall Street jumped Friday despite historic job losses suffered by the economy. Fred Katayama reports.




b

'Never give up': Queen praises Britons on Victory in Europe Day

Britain's Queen Elizabeth honored those who died in World War Two on Friday, the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, and used the occasion to say she was proud of how people had responded to the coronavirus pandemic.




b

Rescuers capture king cobra in urban Singapore

A king kobra is spotted near a train station in Singapore, animal rescuers were alerted to catch it.




b

Beijing gym-goers welcome partial re-open

The grunts, groans and the sound of pulsing music and crashing weights has returned to some of Beijing's gyms after being closed for nearly three months due to the coronavirus outbreak. Ciara Lee reports.




b

Putin attends slimmed down Victory Day celebrations

Russia marked 75 years since the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two on Saturday, but the coronavirus outbreak forced it to scale back celebrations. Olivia Chan reports.




b

A bubble looms over China's heartland

China's policymakers struggle to grapple with a property market, the world's largest, that is crucial for growth yet prone to bubbles springing up in unlikely places.




b

Robocop-style helmets help Rome airport check passenger temperatures from a distance

Fiumicino is now the first in Europe to use ‘smart helmets’ to check the temperature of travellers - helmets equipped with portable thermoscanners that can screen people for symptoms of the new coronavirus at a safe distance of up to 7 metres.




b

Drone images show northern French beach deserted in coronavirus lockdown

Beaches nationwide have been shut for weeks as the government put itself on lockdown in mid-March to curb the spread of the virus, which has to date killed nearly 26,000 nationwide.




b

Buon appetito! Italy's pizzerias reopen

Pizzerias were finally able to open their doors again this week after almost two months in lockdown - and Italians were savouring every bite.




b

Mum and newborn leave hospital after beating COVID-19

A mother who was given a 50 percent survival chance and her newborn baby were discharged from hospital on Monday (May 4) after both fighting COVID-19.




b

UK observes two-minute silence to commemorate VE Day 75th anniversary

Along with millions around the nation, Prince Charles held a two-minute silence outside his family's Balmoral estate, while military jets flew over the United Kingdom's four capitals, and 1940s-style tea parties plus singalongs were planned in homes.




b

Countries must return to public health surveillance in COVID-19 fight -WHO

Countries must return to "basic principles" of public health surveillance if they are to bring the coronavirus outbreak under control, the World Health Organization's (WHO) top emergency health expert Mike Ryan said on Friday (May 8).




b

Brazil refuge welcomes eagle hatchling

Brazil's Bela Vista Biological Refuge Veterinarian Pedro Enrrique Ferreira says the Harpy Eagle hatchling born on April 26 only weighs 150 grams now but could one day grow to weigh some 20 pounds.




b

Singapore robot enforces safe distancing among park-goers

Singapore unveiled a four-legged canine-like robot on Friday (May 8) to remind park goers to maintain social distancing.




b

'Never give up': Queen praises Britons on Victory in Europe Day

Britain's Queen Elizabeth honored those who died in World War Two on Friday, the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, and used the occasion to say she was proud of how people had responded to the coronavirus pandemic.




b

Rescuers capture king cobra in urban Singapore

A king kobra is spotted near a train station in Singapore, animal rescuers were alerted to catch it.




b

Gigi Hadid pregnant with Zayn Malik's baby - TMZ

Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik are having a baby, according to entertainment website TMZ on Tuesday. Emer McCarthy reports.




b

Tabloid wins initial court battle against UK royal Meghan

London's High Court on Friday threw out part of a claim brought by Meghan, Britain's Duchess of Sussex, against a tabloid newspaper for breaching her privacy, ruling that it had not acted dishonestly. Lauren Anthony reports.




b

Locked down UK comedians aim for record with virtual pub quiz

Russell Howard, Nish Kumar, Jon Richardson and others help 'landlady' Kiri Pritchard-Mclean host 'The Big Comedy Quiz at The Covid Arms' and break a Guinness World Record.




b

What can we expect from the new 'Twilight' book?

Author Stephenie Meyer thrilled fans of her best-selling "Twilight" novels by announcing she will release a prequel - but what can we expect from the new book?




b

Duchess Kate launches photo project to capture lockdown Britain

Kate, Britain's Duchess of Cambridge, launched a project on Thursday to encourage Britons to submit pictures of their daily lives during lockdown. Edward Baran reports.




b

UK royal Archie celebrates first birthday with story from mum Meghan

Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, the son of Britain's Prince Harry and his American wife Meghan, celebrated his first birthday on Wednesday, with his parents marking the occasion with a video of his mother reading him a story.




b

A British nurse is the chosen superhero in new Banksy artwork

A young boy chooses a nurse as the superhero he wants to play with over Batman and Spiderman in a new artwork by Banksy that encapsulates the gratitude Britons have felt toward the country's National Health Service during the coronavirus crisis.




b

Dutch restaurant trials glass booths for dining amid coronavirus

A Dutch restaurant has come up with an idea on how to offer classy outdoor dining in the age of coronavirus: small glass cabins built for two or three people, creating intimate cocoons on a public patio.




b

Coronavirus-wary Japan tries to take business card ritual online

Japan's time-honoured ritual of exchanging business cards face-to-face is under pressure as the government promotes a "new lifestyle" to combat the coronavirus.




b

Absence makes the heart grow fonder as China goes back to school

Temperature checks, compulsory face masks and scrupulous hygiene - it's more like going to a hospital than a school, but the Shanghai students returning to class after three months of lockdown are thrilled to be there.




b

Greece to reopen ancient monuments this month as it eases coronavirus ban

After standing empty for two months, Greece's ancient sites, including the Acropolis hill towering over Athens, will reopen to visitors on May 18, authorities said on Thursday.




b

Belgian chefs lay down jackets to protest at lockdown

Hundreds of chefs' jackets were laid down in the center of Brussels on Thursday to highlight the plight of hotels, restaurants and cafes that have been shuttered for nearly two months during the coronavirus outbreak.